Dung beetles do more than roll poop—they roll it straight while walking backward in the dark. How? Meet the scientists who answered that question—using beetles, moonlight, and tiny cardboard hats.

Here’s our trail map:

1. Why Do Dung Beetles Roll Piles of Poop?
2. Why Do Dung Beetles Collect Dung?
3. How Is a Dung Beetle Like a Tiny Beetle Astronomer?
4. How Can We Use God’s Word to Find Our Way?

Eryn's Books:

1. The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Rest-Creation-Sabbath-Living/dp/0825448891
2. Rooted in Wonder: Nurturing Your Family's Faith Through God's Creation: https://www.amazon.com/Rooted-Wonder-Nurturing-Familys-Creation/dp/0825447615
3. 936 Pennies: Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting: https://www.amazon.com/936-Pennies-Discovering-Intentional-Parenting/dp/0764219782

Episode Links:

1. Explore books, curriculum, and resources by Master Books: https://www.masterbooks.com/
2. Save 20% and get a FREE speaker using code Nat20 at https://www.sherwoodkids.com/nat20 (offer valid through March 31, 2026)
3. Subscribe to the Ginger Hubbard podcast for biblical parenting advice and encouragement: https://www.gingerhubbard.com/podcast
4. Nat Theo Club Bonus Video: https://erynlynum.com/club-videos
5. Get full lesson guides in the Nat Theo Club: https://erynlynum.com/club
6. Free Dung Beetle Coloring Sheet: https://erynlynum.com/why-do-dung-beetles-roll-piles-of-poop/
7. Ask your nature question: https://erynlynum.com/ask

Scriptures Referenced in This Episode:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13 (NIV)

“Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NCV)

Terms Learned in This Episode:

1. Sphere: A perfectly round solid shape with no corners and no edges. Every point on a sphere is the same distance from the center, so it looks the same from every side.
2. Chemoreceptors: Sensor organs on a dung beetle’s antennae that allow it to sense animal scat from far away.
3. Brood Ball: A dung ball that a mother dung beetle lays an egg in and buries. Then the egg hatches, the brood ball serves as first food for dung beetle larva.
4. Detritivores: Creatures that eat dead or decaying things—and even animal waste—and mix it into the soil. Then tiny decomposers (like bacteria and fungi) finish breaking it down into nutrients.
5. Dorsal Rim Area (DRA): The DRA is like a special compass area of their eye designed to see patterns in the night sky.

Some but not all sources used in research:

1. Supernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way (David Barrie)
2. Atlas Obscura: Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders

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